INDORE: A fresh corruption case has surfaced in Indore, where officials of the Madhya Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation are alleged to have siphoned off ₹49.02 lakh by withdrawing salaries in the names of 12 non-existent employees between 1998 and 2016. Acting on a complaint filed by current divisional manager Ashok Singh Tomar, MG Road police have begun an investigation against former in-charge manager Rajesh Kumar Meena, conductor Mohammad Shakeel and others.
Employees Who Existed Only on Paper
The police investigation found that the alleged fraud began in 1998 and continued without interruption until 2016. Records showed a list of 512 employees, but investigators found that 12 of them existed only on paper.
Bank accounts were opened in these fictitious names, and government funds were transferred into them for nearly two decades. The case has raised serious questions about how such payments continued over a long period without being detected.
FCRF Returns With CDPO, Its Premier Data Protection Certification for Privacy Professionals
Audit Brings Salary Fraud to Light
The fraud came to light during an audit of old records. Investigators found that those receiving salaries were never part of the official payroll, exposing what appears to have been a long-running manipulation of employee records.
Former divisional in-charge manager Rajesh Kumar Meena, identified as a Supervisor Grade-I, and former conductor Mohammad Shakeel have emerged as key accused in the case. The complaint has prompted police to widen their inquiry into the functioning of the department during the relevant period.
Probe Expands as Police Seek Old Records
The complaint covers the period from 1998 to 2016, and police have sought old records from banks and the department to gather evidence. Vijay Singh Sisodiya, Station House Officer of MG Road police station, said strict action would be taken on the basis of evidence.
Given the length of the alleged scam, more officials posted in the Indore zone during that period may also come under investigation. Police are collecting details from banks where the suspicious accounts were opened in 1998, while old records in other districts of the division are also being examined for similar irregularities.
